at the Battle of Lexington, in the early morning of April 19, 1775.
The 'battle" was actually a skirmish when British soldiers enroute to Concord came across armed colonial militiamen. After a brief exchange of fire, the Americans dispersed. It was not until later in the day that Minutemen, warned by Revere, Dawes, and others, routed a force of Redcoats at the Battle of Concord. These separate battles are often considered as a whole as the first open conflict in the war
